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munckee
Jun 12, 2004, 10:53 PM
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Considering getting a pair of soft shell pants to carry instead of my hard shell pants. What have your experiences been between the two? Any recommendations for or against making the switch?
Usually I carry a pair of light long underwear bottoms and my shell pants. Rarely do I need the long underwear and just wear my shells as wind pants. I'm thinking that maybe a pair of softshell pants will bridge the gap between the two and allow me to carry just one pair of pants.
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youmeanupthere
Jun 13, 2004, 12:23 AM
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I reckon you will have a dozen people tell you it depends on what your using them for etc. Well my experience with soft shell pants has been pretty good in a lot of situations. I use them ice climbing, cold rock days, snow shoeing, snow hiking general cold weather backpacking, and many other times. Soft shells generally aren't as "waterproof" as a shell made of gore-tex or other materials. My pants, SD Black Ice made out of PowerShield, do really well in the wind and while ice climbing since ice climbing is not generally too wet (ice should be frozen).
While backpacking I prefer medium weight base layer, pair of lightweight pants, and a light (unlined) gore-tex shell. If there is a chance of heavy rain i would opt for a gore-tex outer layer. But it seems like soft shell technology is coming a long ways.
I have to admit I haven't really but my soft shell pants to the test in hard rain but thats because I live in Utah. We dont get hard rain often enough.
hope that helps
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vegastradguy
Jun 13, 2004, 12:32 AM
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i usually only wear softshell. they'll take most weather that you'll expect to encounter (i assume you dont plan on climbing if theres a 90% chance of torrential downpour).
if its looking like it might be iffy or a really long day with a chance of bivy, i MIGHT pack my shell pants for an extra layer..but most often i dont.
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walllizzard
Jun 13, 2004, 3:39 AM
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when im climbing/ bouldering in cooler weather i wear soft shell pants. They offer better wear resistance and do not restict my movement like some hard shell fabrics. You can wear a very close fitting soft shell fabric and still maintane range of movement, due to the stretch of the fabric. Hard shells in order to gain mobility out of them in climbing, they must fit looser than a soft shell, lending themselves to get caught on more things and not offering close to body comfort and freedom of movement of a softshell. I have the REI Mistral plain soft shell pants, made from Scholler Dynamic fabric and have a EMS Apollo jacket made of Scholler WB-400. AS to will they handle rain, ive used my softshell in very cold, warm, drizzle, rainy and windy conditions and never has it failed to keep me dry and warm.
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ryanpfleger
Jun 13, 2004, 5:13 AM
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I am sold on soft shell pants, even more so than a jacket. I have a couple pairs of pants, BD Alpine, and REI something or other, I think they are the zip off version of the Mistral. Basically I wear my softshells Spring, Summer, and Fall, and even frequently during the winter. Sounds like they'll do the trick for you as they are definately warmer than just a hardshell.
Ryan
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jimdavis
Jun 14, 2004, 4:00 AM
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I dunno about you guys, but wearing a hard-shell pant works very well for me. All your heat is gonna rise anyway, and there isn't ALL that much heat that's generated in your body other than in your core.
My legs have never sweated enough (provided I didn't overdress by 30 degrees) to warrent softshell pants.
I'd worry much more about a jacket, where your body really is generating heat. But to each his own.
Cheers,
Jim
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ben87
Jun 14, 2004, 8:51 PM
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hard shell? soft shell? don't use these terms personally. I'm assuming you mean hardshell=gore-tex,etc. and soft shell=water resistant or wind-proof, but not water-proof?
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munckee
Jun 14, 2004, 9:43 PM
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In reply to: hard shell? soft shell? don't use these terms personally. I'm assuming you mean hardshell=gore-tex,etc. and soft shell=water resistant or wind-proof, but not water-proof?
Yup, pretty much.
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watchme
Jun 14, 2004, 10:45 PM
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In reply to: Considering getting a pair of soft shell pants to carry instead of my hard shell pants.
The whole idea behind softshell stuff is that you don't have to "carry" clothes, you wear them. I used to carry gore-tex jackets and pants, and avoid wearing them at all costs because I always would overheat and get damp. With softshell, you just wear them all the time. The only thing that I carry is a very light hardshell rain jacket if I think it might rain. In the winter I leave it at home.
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munckee
Jun 14, 2004, 10:55 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Considering getting a pair of soft shell pants to carry instead of my hard shell pants. The whole idea behind softshell stuff is that you don't have to "carry" clothes, you wear them. I used to carry gore-tex jackets and pants, and avoid wearing them at all costs because I always would overheat and get damp. With softshell, you just wear them all the time. The only thing that I carry is a very light hardshell rain jacket if I think it might rain. In the winter I leave it at home.
Simple semantics. I tend to wear whatever pants I have quite often.
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tattooed_climber
Jun 15, 2004, 10:09 PM
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go softshell!!!!......they're stretchy, warmer, abrasion resistant compaired to hardshell.....they're alittle less waterproof (softshells are WATER RESISTANT but once wet, they wick the moisture which then = dry softshell!), they ARE wind proof, and they also shed snow
plus they are cheaper than hardshell......and you can wear them on a hot day and just be good!...unlike hardshell
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watchme
Jun 15, 2004, 11:25 PM
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So, when you are on an alpine rock climb, or when you are on an approach hike , you wear gore-tex rain pants, even if it is sunny?
With softshell pants, you wear the same pants all day. If is sunny, or windy, or whatever. You don't need to bring any extra clothes anymore. You will probably bring some "just in case" rain pants for awhile, and after you find that you never use them, you'll leave them out. I unloaded all of my waterproof clothes, save one lightweight rainjacket, on ebay.
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sandstone
Jun 16, 2004, 12:03 AM
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I finally got a pair of softshell pants last fall and I'm a convert -- a late convert, but a convert no less. My goretex didn't get used all winter. I definately recommend you give softshell a try.
I found softshell to be much more comfortable than hardshell, primarily because of the increased breathability and stretch (not to mention they are quieter and just feel better to the touch than hardshell). They shed snow just fine. I did some approaches with waist deep postholing, and they kept me warm and dry enough. I think they're tougher than hardshell -- I crashed through bushes, scraped my way up awkward rock pitches, etc, and it's hard to find a trace of abuse on the pants.
EMS had a good sale on soft shell last season, and Sierra Trading Post occasionally has some. I was going to get mine from EMS, but they were out of my size, so I ended up getting REI One.
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rongoodman
Jun 16, 2004, 12:18 AM
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I spent a week on the Ruth Glacier with AAI in May and never took my GoreTex out of the pack, even in the 3 day snow storm. I was wearing Arcteryx Powershield bibs and a Marmot windshirt, sometimes with a Wild Things EP jacket. I haven't taken any GoreTex to the Tetons for years, just Marmot Precip rain gear, which packs down to nothing.
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